Gas or fluid compressor



March 19, 1963 w. H. DE LANCEY 3,081,932

GAS 0R FLUID COMPRESSOR Filed July 11, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Flare/Q5 To (Minn/SEE 155A INVENTOR.

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GAS 0R FLUID COMPRESSOR Filed July 11, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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March 19, 1963 w. H. DE LANCEY GAS OR FLUID COMPRESSOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 11, 1960 March 19, 1963 w. H. DE LANCEY GAS OR FLUID COMPRESSOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 11, 1960 NVENTOR. mwzen ATTdkA/E/ 3,081,932 Patented Mar. 19, 1963 hire 3,081,932 GAS OR FLUID COMPRESSGR Warren H. De Lancey, Zanesville, Ohio, assignor to Hardel Laboratories, Zanesville, Ohio, a copartnership Filed July 11, 1960, Ser. No. 42,092 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-58) This invention relates to the motor pump assembly, and more particularly to a refrigeration motor pump assembly.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel refrigeration motor pump assembly which is adapted to receive returned gas such as F-l2 from an evaporator in a refrigeration circuit and to compress the gas and deliver the same to a suitable condenser in said refrigeration circuit.

It is a further object to provide in a refrigeration motor pump a motor operated impeller having a series of vanes and including a casing storing a quantity of liquid gas, such as Freon or the like, which is readily mixable with the return gas from the gas evaporator and which is acted upon by the motor operated impeller of the pump and thereafter under increased pressure delivered out- 'wardly of the pump housing for use at a suitable condenser in a refrigeration cycle, but with the liquid Freon remaining within the pump housing, readily separating therefrom.

It is a further object to provide a refrigeration motor pump, or other pump, which contains within the casing intake side of the pump and which, due to its efiiciency,

is adapted to create in the impelled mixture of gas and liquid a high velocity of the said mixture for the purpose of building up the pressure therein and for the eventual delivery of the compressed gas outwardly of the pump housing and with the liquid separating therefrom for retention within the housing.

It is a further object to provide an alternate construction in the nature of an air motor pump of substantially the same construction, but wherein the liquid does not necessarily separate readily out from the gas when compressed and with means provided in the nature of a centrifugal separator by which the liquid is mechanically separated from the mixed high-pressure gas and liquid for recirculation within the pump and wherein the air, as compressed is delivered outwardly thereof.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the present refrigeration motor pump assembly.

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the impeller for the pump.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of a slightly different form of air motor pump assembly.

FIG. 6 is an end view thereof.

It will be understood that the above drawings illustrate merely a preferred embodiment of the invention and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the present refrigeration motor pump assembly, as disclosed in the preferred embodiment of the invention includes the pump housing generally indicated at 11 including the generally cylindrical but outwardly tapered annular wall 12, which terminates in the out-turned annular securing flange 13. Said housing also includes a formed end wall 14 centrally apertured to fixedly receive the pipe fitting 15 adapted for connection to a suitable conduit. from an evaporator in a refrigeration system. The evaporator in the conventional operation, for illustration, delivers F-12 gas to the said inlet fitting 15 for communication with the chamber 57, being a low pressure chamber, as will be hereafter described.

The pump cover 16, arranged in opposed spaced relation to the end wall 14 of the pump housing has an annular reverse turned flange 17, which is secured over the pump casing flange 13 to complete the assembly of the pump housing. The cover is centrally apertured to receive the pipe fitting 10 adapted for connection to a suitable conduit for delivering compressed F-12 gas under pressure or compressed to a suitable condenser in the refrigeration cycle.

Positioned within the pump housing there is provided a motor housing 10, which in the preferred embodiment, is an electric motor, the said housing having a series of radial outwardly extending ribs 20, as best shown in FIG. 2 for cooperative engagement with the interior wall of the pump housing 11. There are also formed as a part of the present motor housing a series of right angularly related inwardly directed fins 21 which are adapted to cooperatively and retainingly receive a conventional stator 22 of the said motor. An electrical conduit 23 is connected to the said stator and passes through the glass or otherwise insulating seal 24, which is retained within a portion of cover 16.

The motor housing, at its closed end includes central inwardly extending boss 25 terminating in the annular or longitudinal hub 26 within which is mounted a suitable bushing 27.

The pump shaft 28 is rotatively journaled and supported within the bushing 27 and at one end projects into rotor 29 and is fixedly secured thereto as at 28 as by knurling, for illustration. A suitable thrust bearing 31 is positioned over the shaft 28 and interposed between the end of hub 26 and the interior wall of rotor 29, as best illustrated in FIG. 1.

The hub 25--26 of the motor housing at its inner end defines a chamber 32 within which is loosely positioned an impeller, generally indicated at 33. Said impeller is in the form of an annular disc-like casting 34- having an inwardly extending centrally aperturecl hub 35 positioned over the reduced diameter portion 36 of the pump shaft 23 and fixedly secured thereto by key 37 and the retaining ring 38 which operatively bears against an inner portion of the said hub 35.

Formed as a part of the impeller disc 34 are a series of angularly related integral vanes 39*, and mounted thereover is an impeller cover-40 secured thereto by a series of hollow tubular rivets 41 which extend through central portions of the vanes, disc 34, as well as through the said cover 40, completing the impeller assembly.

The sleeve bearing 42 includes a radial flange 43 which serves as a thrust bearing with respect to the flat ann-ular portion 44 on the impeller cover 40. At the same time anannular impeller bearing seal 45 is mounted within a counterbore in the motor housing hub 25 and retained therein by' the apertured spring disc 46 which is secured to a portion of the motor housing as by the screw or rivet 47. The said spring disc 46 adjacent its inner periphery is laterally offset as at 48 for cooperative yielding engagement with the flange 43 on the bushing 42.

In other words, the bushing 42 serves as an annular thrust bushing with its own flange resiliently engaged by the displaced lateral flange 48 of the spring disc 46 which 3 normally maintains a yielding relationship between the bushing flange and the bearing surface 44 of the impeller cover 40.

The impeller bushing 42 provides an annular inlet 50 for communication with the central annular opening 51 in the impeller cover for communication with respective inlets 52 defined by the series of angularly related spirally arranged vanes 39 forming a part of the impeller body.

The vanes 39 together with the impeller disc 34 and in conjunction with the cover 40 thus define a series of outwardly diverging passages 53, as shown in FIG. 2. These passages diverge in a plane normal to the axis of the pump. At the same time, however, the said passages 53 converge towards their outer ends as at 54- in a plane at right angles thereto to thus provide the required restriction which has the effect of a venturi construction providing for an increased discharge velocity of the liquid Freon or other liquid as indicated at 49, for mixing with the gas F-12 as delivered to chamber 57 from a conventional evaporator.

The purpose of the present refrigeration motor pump assembly is to provide a mixture of the liquid medium, such as liquid Freon or the like which is carried within the pump housing with the low pressure F-l2 gas delivered at the fitting 15 into chamber 57 as well as the chamber 32 within which the present impeller rotates.

The liquid passes into the impeller assembly 33 from the chamber and enters the respective passages at 52 between the respective vanes 39 and is centrifugally directed outwardly through the restricted venturi vane assembly as at 54 where it mixes with the low pressure gas in chamber 32--57 and is delivered under high pressure and high velocity through the laterally diverging passages 55 interposed between the pump casing and the motor housing 19. Said venturi creates a low pressure condition in chamber 32-57 and gas enters said chamber, mixes with the high velocity liquid and is directed to the interior chamber 56 of the pump housing. The gas under high pressure, compressed, readily separates from said liquid and is delivered through fitting 13 through a suitable conduit to the condenser in a refrigeration circuit on other receiver. At the same time the liquid Freon or equivalent liquid collects as at 49 in the bottom of pump housing 11 for recirculation.

There is thus provided a very eflicient motor operated impeller 33 which creates a low pressure condition within chamber 3 2-57, being the intake chamber for receiving gas from an evaporator in a refrigeration cycle, or some other source.

The impeller acts not only as a pump, but at the same time due to the centrifugal forces involved and the mixture of the liquid with the gas produces a very eflicient action wherein this mixture of liquid and gas is effected and directed by the venturi type vanes as at 54 and through the expansion passages 55 and into the chamber 56 of the pump housing. This provides a very eflicient means of compressing the gas with the liquid at the same time separating out and collecting in the bottom of the pump casing.

The compressed gas is delivered through the outlet fitting 18 for delivery to a suitable condenser in a refrigeration cycle.

A modification of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein it is noted that the construction of the pump casing, the motor mounting, the stator and rotor and the drive for the impeller is substantially the same and the description is not repeated inasmuch as similar numerals are applied to the common parts, as compared with FIG. 1.

The main difference between FIG. 5 and FIG. 1 is that FIG. 5 is directed to a slightly different form of air pump for receiving atmospheric air and delivering compressed air. In this case a suitable liquid 60 is maintained within the casing, such as water or oil and the said water and due to 1 .6 action of the rotor are mixed under pressure by the impeller assembly 33 for delivery to the interior chamber 58 within the pump housing.

The main difference in the present construction, however, is that within the said pump housing there is provided a centrifugal separator 62 for mechanically separating the mixture of gas, as for example, with the liquid 60, which is otherwise not readily separable as hereinabove described in conjunction with F-12 gas and Freon.

The pump assembly in FIG. 5 is substantially the same as that shown and described in connection with FIG. 1 with only small differences as to size and shape of parts. For example, instead of the outlet fitting 18, FIG. 1, there is provided at 18' a mounting flange having a series of spaced apertures 59 adapted to receive a suitable fastener for connection to a housing or other mechanism to which a supply of compressed air, for example, may be delivered from the chamber 70 and through the passage 71.

Another difference resides in the fact that the rotor 29 has projected through its bore the mounting bushing 30 which is fixedly secured to the said rotor at its opposite ends as at 61 and upon the interior of the said bushing is fixedly secured to the shaft 28 for driving the same as at 28.

The operation of the motor driven impeller 33 is exactly the same as above described in conjunction with FIG. 1 and there is provided adjacent theventuri outlets 54 at high pressure and high velocity a mixture of air and fluid which is delivered into the laterally opening passages and thence into chamber 58.

Rotatably positioned within chamber 58 is a suitable centrifugal impeller or separator 62 whose centrally apertured hub 63 is fixedly secured to one end of the motor operated shaft 28 as by the key 64 and the locking ring 65.

The separator has an annular flange 66 and a series of radial reinforcing ribs between the said flange and hub. The annular baflle 67 is secured to a forward edge of the motor housing, FIG. 5 and has a reverse curved inwardly directed flange 68 which registers with the separator flange 66. A baffle is provided for the purpose of deflecting the fluids as they are centrifugally separated from the air now compressed during rotation of the said separator. Thus the fluids, such as water or oil, or the like collect as at within the pump housing and the compressed air enters the chamber 70 and is delivered through the passage 71 in the mounting flange 18' for an industrial usage, as desired.

It is noted in FIG. 5 that the bushing 27, which receives the motor operated shaft 28, corresponding to the bushing 27 of FIG. 1 is of the self-lubricating type.

Referring to FIG. 5, as well as FIG. 1, the purpose of the hollow rivet is to provide for and to assure equalization of low pressure within the chamber 3257.

The important part of the present invention is the great simplification and vast improvement of efficiency achieved in the present gas or fluid compressor wherein the centrifugal runner or impeller defines a radial jet injecting into the radial venturi or venturi chamber which is wrapped around the power source or particularly around the power operated impeller.

While as one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, said gas or fluid compressor may be used as a refrigeration pump assembly or as a gas or fluid compressor for refrigerators, there are literally hundreds of other possible uses to which the present apparatus could be adapted. For instance, the same structure driven externally may be employed as a very efiicient compressor for gas turbines. In this case no liquid would be used but part of the air would be recirculated in accordance with the present invention. In this way, relatively high pressures could be obtained with a relatively small mechamsm.

As previously set forth, reference has been made to F-12 gas from an evaporator in a refrigeration system. The common household and air conditioning refrigerants are F-12 and F-22. These are both Freons, as denoted by the letter F and are gaseous at ordinary temperatures and pressures. There are, however, other Freons which are liquids at the temperatures and pressures normally encountered in a refrigeration compressor which may be used as the pumping medium. In general this medium would preferably have as high a specific gravity as possible and as low a viscosity as possible and should not, of course, react with or contaminate the fluid being pumped.

Whereas FIGS. 1 and 5 actually show the present gas or fluid compressor as arranged upon a horizontal axis, it is contemplated as a part of the present invention that there will be many situations, some of which are hereunder claimed wherein the axis of the motor and shaft will be vertical and wherein the impeller will be arranged axially below the motor and wherein the separating chamber, such as chamber 56, FIG. 1, or chamber 58, in FIG. 5, will be arranged above the motor and wherein the fluid pumping medium will either separate by gravity as in FIG. 1 with the housing axis 90 degrees from shown, or wherein there will be a mechanical separation of the pumping medium from the pumped fluid employing a centrifugal separator, such as shown in FIG. 5 and where in also the longitudinal axis of the motor and pump will be upright and in which case the separated pumping medium will drop by gravity for communication with the inlet of the impeller and wherein the compressed pumped medium will exit through the outlet in the outlet chamber corresponding to and in communication with the upper portion of the mixing chamber, as for example, mixing chamber 58 of FIG 5 and wherein the said casing has been oriented 90 degrees from that shown in FIG. 5.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the following claims.

I claim:

1. A fluid compressor comprising a housing having a circular in cross-section housing wall normally arranged axially horizontally and having a closed inlet end and a closed outlet end forming a sealed container; a cup, having a circular in cross-section cup wall and an end wall integral with one end of the cup wall, fitted within the housing, with the cup wall and its end wall adjacent to, but spaced from, the housing wall and the housing inlet end respectively, with the cup being arranged coaxial with the housing; an impeller chamber formed by and between the cup end wall and the housing inlet end, said chamber being axially aligned with, but in a plane perpendicular to, the cup and housing axes and with the cup end wall and inlet end portions which define the chamber walls converging towards each other, in a radially outwardly direction, to form a narrow, continuous, annular opening therebetween at the periphery of the chamber, said opening forming the constricted throat of a Venturi-like means and the converging walls defining the chamber forming the inlet nozzle of the Venturi-like means, and with the housing inlet end and cup end wall portions located radially outwardly of said throat, gradually diverging so that the space between them gradually increases up to the points where said housing inlet end and cup end wall join their respective housing and cup circular walls, which circular walls gradually diverge in the axial direction towards said housing outlet end so that the space thcrebetween gradually increases in continuation of the gradually increasing space between the inlet end and cup end wall, thereby forming an elongated, bent, Venturi-like discharge nozzle, of a length at least several times greater than the length of said inlet nozzle, and terminating within the container formed by the housing near said closed outlet end; a gas inlet opening formed in said inlet end and communicating with said chamber and a gas outlet formed in said outlet end and communicating with the interior of said container; said container being partially filled with a liquid compressing medium; and impeller means arranged within said chamber and opening into the liquid in said container for impelling said liquid in a continuous, radially outwardly directed sheet through said throat, whereby liquid continuously recirculates through the impeller, the throat, the elongated discharge nozzle and container, and gas is continuously drawn through the inlet nozzle, the throat, the elongated discharge nozzle, thus being compressed, and is continuously discharged through said gas outlet.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1 and wherein said impeller means comprises two spaced apart circular, disc-like plates, each of a diameter which is slightly less than the diameter of said annular throat, and which plates gradually converge towards each other in a radially outwardly direction to form an uninterrupted, circular, radially outwardly opening liquid discharge nozzle which is radially aligned with and opens into said annular throat, said plates being spaced a short distance from the chamber walls and having a plurality of vanes bridging the space between the plates; a passageway formed in the cup end wall and through the plate adjacent to the cup end wall and communicating the space between the plates with said liquid, the impeller being axially aligned with the chamber axis, and means for rapidly rotating the impeller for discharging a continuous, uninterrupted radially directed sheet of liquid into said throat.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2 and wherein said means for rotating the impeller includes an electric motor arranged within the cup, and hence, sealed within the container, and having a drive shaft connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 898,493 Montgomery :Sept. 15, 1908 1,782,188 Barnes Nov. 18, 1930 2,035,786 Bradley Mar. 31, 1936 2,067,903 Davis Ian. 19, 1937 2,073,771 Wilson Mar. 16, 1937 2,439,577 Norton Apr. 13, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 202,042 Germany Sept. 24, 1908 

1. A FLUID COMPRESSOR COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A CIRCULAR IN CROSS-SECTION HOUSING WALL NORMALLY ARRANGED AXIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND HAVING A CLOSED INLET END AND A CLOSED OUTLET END FORMING A SEALED CONTAINER; A CUP, HAVING A CIRCULAR IN CROSS-SECTION CUP WALL AND END WALL INTEGRAL WITH ONE END OF THE CUP WALL, FITTED WITHIN THE HOUSING, WITH THE CUP WALL AND ITS END WALL ADJACENT TO, BUT SPACED FROM, THE HOUSING WALL AND THE HOUSING INLET END RESPECTIVELY, WITH THE CUP BEING ARRANGED COAXIAL WITH THE HOUSING; AN IMPELLER CHAMBER FORMED BY AND BETWEEN THE CUP END WALL AND THE HOUSING INLET END, SAID CHAMBER BEING AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH, BUT IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO, THE CUP AND HOUSING AXES AND WITH THE CUP END WALL AND INLET END PORTIONS WHICH DEFINE THE CHAMBER WALLS CONVERGING TOWARDS EACH OTHER, IN A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTION. TO FORM A NARROW, CONTINUOUS, ANNULAR OPENING THEREBETWEEN AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE CHAMBER, SAID OPENING FORMING THE CONSTRICTED THROAT OF A VENTURI-LIKE MEANS AND THE CONVERGING WALLS DEFINING THE CHAMBER FORMING THE INLET NOZZLE OF THE VENTURI-LIKE MEANS, AND WITH THE HOUSING INLET END AND CUP END WALL PORTIONS LOCATED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID THROAT, GRADUALLY DIVERGING SO THAT THE SPACE BETWEEN THEM GRADUALLY INCREASES UP TO THE POINTS WHERE SAID HOUSING INLET END AND CUP END WALL JOIN THEIR RESPECTIVE HOUSING AND CUP CIRCULAR WALLS, WHICH CIRCULAR WALLS GRADUALLY DIVERGE IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION TOWARDS SAID HOUSING OUTLET END SO THAT THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN GRADUALLY INCREASES IN CONTINUATION OF THE GRADUALLY INCREASING SPACE BETWEEN THE INLET END AND CUP END WALL, THEREBY FORMING AN ELONGATED, BENT, VENTURI-LIKE DISCHARGE NOZZLE, OF A LENGTH AT LEAST SEVERAL TIMES GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID INLET NOZZLE, AND TERMINATING WITHIN THE CONTAINER FORMED BY THE HOUSING NEAR SAID CLOSED OUTLET END; A GAS INLET OPENING FORMED IN SAID INLET END AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER AND A GAS OUTLET FORMED IN SAID OUTLET END AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER; SAID CONTAINER BEING PARTIALLY FILLED WITH A LIQUID COMPRESSING MEDIUM; AND IMPELLER MEANS ARRANGED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND OPENING INTO THE LIQUID IN SAID CONTAINER FOR IMPELLING SAID LIQUID IN A CONTINUOUS, RADIALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED SHEET THROUGH SAID THROAT, WHEREBY LIQUID CONTINUOUSLY RECIRCULATES THROUGH THE IMPELLER, THE THROAT, THE ELONGATED DISCHARGE NOZZLE AND CONTAINER, AND GAS IS CONTINUOUSLY DRAWN THROUGH THE INLET NOZZLE, THE THROAT, THE ELONGATED DISCHARGE NOZZLE, THUS BEING COMPRESSED, AND IS CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGED THROUGH SAID GAS OUTLET. 